The corpse of a 32-year-old driver, Joseph Kehinde has
been discovered inside the gutter by residents of Arepo in
the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Kehinde was reportedly stabbed to death and his corpse
dumped in a gutter beside a filling station in the area.
According to Punch, the Ekiti State indigene, who lived in
Arepo, left home for work on Friday and drove his boss,
who equally lived in Arepo, to the Lagos Island, where the
latter worked.
However, Kehinde’s corpse was found in the gutter on
Saturday.
The body was removed by the police from the Warewa
division.
Kehinde has been married to his wife, Kemi, for four years,
with a three- year- old daughter.
Kemi, who is also three months pregnant, told the
newspaper that her husband had been working with his boss
for the past two years without any problem.
She said, “He normally drove the boss to work on the Lagos
Island every day.
“On Friday, after we spoke in the morning, he was not
reachable in the evening.
“It was on Saturday that a motorcyclist, who lives in our
neighbourhood called to tell me that my husband’s corpse
was seen in the gutter.
“He was stabbed by the side and his shirt was taken away.
There was no blood in the gutter and from what I saw, his
underwear was pulled up before he was stabbed. There
were little bloodstains on his singlet.
“His boss told us that after they closed from work on Friday,
he drove her to Ikeja. She said she gave him transport fare
back home, while she went for a vigil .
She said she heard
the news of the death like everybody else.”
As it was gathered, the assailants went away with
Kehinde’s phone, but left his wallet.
The widow appealed for help, saying the husband was the
breadwinner of the family.
However, elder brother of the victim, Darasimi Joseph, said
Kehinde’s boss had not told the family the whole truth.
He said, “I believe there is something fishy about the death
and only God knows it. Someone dropped his boss by 8 pm
and the next morning, we saw the corpse in the gutter. I
believe everything that is going on will be uncovered in a
matter of time.”
Also, the elder sister of the victim, Toyin Adeojo, called on
the government to intervene and give the family justice,
saying the family was poor.
She said, “We have been unjustly oppressed by powerful
people. We are poor, but we want the government to come
to our aid. His death is a big loss to our family. He was a
friendly, cheerful and well – behaved man.
“He must not die in vain.”
The victim’s corpse was said to have been deposited in a
mortuary for autopsy.
When contacted, the boss declined comment.
She said, “I think if the family is alleging anything, you
should find out from them what the secret is. If they gave
you all the information, for instance, why the corpse was
dumped in Arepo where he lived, you should also find out
from them.
“I am not obliged to speak with you. If you want
information, you should speak with those that gave you
information.”
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer,
Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.
He, however, said it was reported as a case of sudden and
unnatural death, adding that the police had begun
investigations.
He said, “Some people actually came to tell us that they
woke up in the morning and found the corpse of a young
man inside a gutter.
“With that report, what the police will incident is a case of
sudden and unnatural death. We still need to confirm if he
was killed by somebody or not. We are investigating.”
